Improvement in fly-traps



UNITED STATES CHARLES OLSON, OF RED WING, MINNESOTA.

IMPROVEMENT IN FLY-TRAPS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 1S] ,197, dated August 15, 1876; application led May 27, 1576.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LCHARLEs OLsoN, o Red Wing, in the county of Goodhue" and State of Minnesota, have invented a new and valuable Improvement in Fly-Traps; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part otl this specification, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

Figure l of the drawings is a representation of a plan view of my ily-trap, and Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view thereof.

My invention'relates to traps for catching flies; and it consists in a series of connected ilarin g win gs, which are adapted to be opened to admit ilies, and to be closed after the illes are in the trap; and it also consists in devices which are adapted to sweep the flies out of the chamber where they enter, and todischarge them into the compartment containing the water, as hereinafter particularly described.

In the accompanying drawings, A designates the handle of the ily-trap, and B an entrance or spout, which has a cover. Entrance B communicates with the upper compartment D by means oi' an opening', c, on the inside ot' extension d of compartment C, which extension d rises as high as the top of upper compartment D, and is outside thereof. Theopening c is closed by hinged plate or door e, that'is provided with a rod or handle,f. E is a vertical shaft, which is oscill'ated by a crank, El, and Vprovided with a horizontal sweep, E2. rlhis sweep E is made to pass over the bottom of the upper compartment D, carrying with it the ilies which have settled thereon, and sweeping them into the opening c, and thence into the water-chamber C below. When theplate or dooreis open it forms a guide which assists in removing the dies. F F are pivoted flaring radial wings, journaled to annular ange D and xed central ring F. Plates F F ordinarily lie flat, and cover the top of the upper "compartment, except so much as is covered by fixed plates G Gf, which connect the side of the fly-trap to xed central ring F. The free edges of wings F F are connected by links H H to a ring, I, which is loose on shaft E, and is provided With au arm or lever, K. On fixed plate Gis a stop, k, which is adapted to engage with the arm or lever K, when said arm is turned to the required point for opening the valves. On said plate Gis also tixed a helical pressure-spring, L, which operates against the top of the first one of the hinged plates or valves F F, and tends to keep all oi' said plates flat, or to re place them in that condition.

The operation is as follows; Cover b is raised, and lower compartment C is supplied with water. Then lever K is turned until the hinged plates or valves F F all stand open, and said lever is made fast on one side ofthe stop 7o. rlhe bottom ot the upper compartment D is then supplied with molasses, sugar, or any other substance suitable for attracting flies. The trap is then ready for action. When a number of ies have entered the trap the lever-arm K is disengaged from stop k, and springL will then close all the hinged valves or plates F F. I now turn crank E1, which carries around the horizontal arm E2, and thereby sweeps the dies through opening cinto the lower compartment C, where they are drowned.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of hinged plates or valves F F, links H H, ring I. lever-arm K, stop 7c, and spring L, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a ily-trap, the combination of a top, adapted to be held open and automatically closed, with devices for sweeping out the flies, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the above I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES OLSON.

Witnesses OHAs. H. ALLYN, L. HIGHAM. 

